Conveyer.



No. 665,267. K Patented Ian. l90l.

I RANDOLPH.

l CONVEYEB.

(Application filed Apr. 19, 1900.

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CUIVEYER.

(Application filed Apr. 19, 1900. (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Shani 2.

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CONVEYER.

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. fiiigsses fizz/anion" a? f skaiizfia zdolph, @f /Z4-; W WW TED STATS ISHAM RANDOLPH, OF RIVERSIDE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE LINK-BELT MACHINERY COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CONVEYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 665,267, dated January 1, 1901.

Application filed April 19, 1900. Serial No. 13,434. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: which it is located. In Figs. 2 andS the disks Be it known that I, IsHAM RANDOLPH, a A are shown provided with tongues or feathcitizen of theUnited States, residingat Riverers a, which fit into grooves in the concave side, in the county of Cook and State of 1111- edges of the segments A. In Figs. 7 to 9 the 5 nois,haveinventedanew and useful Improvedisks are shown provided with lower horizonment in Oonveyers, of which the following is tal flanges b, upon which rest upper flanges a specification. b of the segments A.

My invention consists of an improved con- By preference each disk or segment A is veyer, possessing special value asa means for supported to turn in a horizontal plane. In 1 moving or transporting freight or passengers the first figures of the drawings each disk is comparatively short distances. shown supported by a central long-stemmed My object is to provide a laterally-flexible caster 0, moving on a rail B, and two flankconveyer capable of moving upon curves or ing short-stemmed casters 0, moving on rails in an endless path while maintaining an even B, and each concaved segment A? is shown 5 or unbroken top surface. supported by short-stemmed casters c mov- In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is ing on rails B. Upper and lower connectinga plan View showing my improved conveyer bar segments O and O join the stems of the in the form of a traveling endless platform; casters 0. Alternate bar-segments are pro- Fig.2, an enlarged broken plan view of a secvided at their lower edges with pivot heads 20 tion of said platform; Fig. 3, a view, partly or straps d, and the remaining alternate segin side elevation and partly in section, of a ments are provided at their upper edges with portion of the platform; Fig. 4, a cross-secsimilar heads d,said heads serving to receive tion at line 4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5, a broken plan the caster-stems and admitting, by reason of View showing the junction of two segments the alternate arrangement described, all the 25 of a flexible connecting-bar employed; Fig. segments of a given bar to lie in one horizon- 6, details of the connection at the joint; Fig. tal plane. The bar 0 is supported by col- 7, a plan view showing segments of the platlars f, the bar 0 by collars f, and the disks form mounted on trucks of tricycle form; A by collar-sf? The bar-segments are pref- Fig. 8, a View in side elevation of the same, erably of T-iron with flange uppermost, and

30 and Fig. 9 a View taken as indicated at line those segments receiving the heads cl have 9 of Fig. 8. I, their flanges removed far enough to receive As appears from Figs. 3 and 9, the conthe top surfaces of said heads flush with the veyer may be mounted in various ways, and top surfaces of the flanges. The disks and it will be understood, readily, that any suitsegments A and A areprovided with chafing- 35 able driving mechanism may be employed. plates f and f 'which bear upon the up- In Figs. 1 to 4:, inclusive, I have shown the per connecting-bar. Horizontally-disposed conveyer supported on casters moving on wheels D and D may serve to drive the conrails in a channel below the level of a floor or veyer through the medium of prongs g, sepastationary platform and driven by sprocketrated by chords of the same length as the 40 wheels. connecting-bar segments and which engage In Figs. 7 to 9, inclusive, the conveyer is the stems of the central casters 0. shown arranged to move in a similar chan- E may represent the floor of a freight or nel, the mounting being changed to trucks ware house or it may represent any stationrunning upon suitable rails, it being underary platform provided with a channel E for 5 stood that any desired means for propulsion the conveyer. 7

may be employed. Referring again to Figs. 7 to 9, inclusive,

In the preferred form alternateconvex se,,- the disks A are shown supported by brackments or disks A and concaved segments A, ets h, projecting from bolsters h, carried by suitably articulated, are employed. The latblocks h journaled on axles h connecting r00 50 eral edges of each concaved segment are subthe main truck-wheels 72. The wheels h are stantially tangential to the disks between flanged after the manner of car-wheels and travel on side rails it. Each truck is provided with a grooved guide-wheel h, which runs on a central guide-rail 71, The trucks are connected by bar-segments C of the form already described,a pivotal stud h (indicated in dotted lines) passing through disk, heads d and d, and into bolster 72, serving to connect adjacent connecting-bar segments.

Any form of motor may be employed to propel the conveyer, and it is not indispensable that the conveyor be endless. Also it is not regarded as absolutely essential that a disk be articulated with each adjacent concaved segment A. Thus any disk A may be selected, and the segment A at either side thereof may be regarded as rigid with said disk. Continuing in the direction chosen, each disk encountered may be considered as rigidly joined to the segment A in advance thereof. It therefore appears that the indispensable condition necessary to make the conveyer operative is that there shall be alternate platform-segments each having at least one circular concavity and alternate platform-segments each having at least one circular convexity to fit into a concavity.

It will be observed that the edges of the platform are practically continuous or unbroken, the segments being of a uniform width, practically equal to a diameter of a disk. Thus across-section of the platform at any point has the samelength as at any other point regardless of curves. The platform is left open and uninclosed-that is, without cover and sidesso that articles may be loaded or removed at any point.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a laterally-flexible endless conveyer, the combination of sets of flat uninclosed segments affording a movable open platform, each segment of one set having at least one convexity and each segment of the other set at least one concavity to receive a convexity, mountings for said segments, and flexible connecting means, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a conveyer, the combination of disks A and concaved segments A alternating therewith to form a flexible platform of continuous surface, connecting-bar segments joining disk-centers, and mountings for the flexible platform, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a conveyer, the combination of segments forming a flexible platform having continuous surface, mounted supports for alternate segments, central pivotal studs for said last-named segments, connecting-bar segments joining said studs, and supporting means for the intermediate segments, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a conveyer, the combination of disks A, central studs for the several disks, connecting-bar segments joining said studs, concaved segments A alternating with said disks, and mountings for the laterally-flexible platform thus formed, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In an endless conveyer, the combination of articulated segments forming a laterallyflexible platform of continuous surface and of uniform width, connecting-bar segments joining the platform-segments, and mountings for the flexible conveyer thus formed, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a conveyer, the combination of articulated segments forming a laterally-flexible platform of unbroken surface, trucks for alternate segments having oppositely-located track-Wheels supporting said segments, guidewheels for said trucks, and bar-segments, pivotally joined to adjacent trucks, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. An endless platform movable in a horizontal plane comprising joined platform-sections the meeting edges of which abut throughout and maintain an unbroken top surface regardless of lateral movement.

8. A platform-carrier, comprising an endless flexible power-transmitting device, a series of supporting devices connected thereto, a part fixed to each supporting device, and intermediate abutting parts movably connected to the supporting devices so as to form a substantially continuous even surface for the carrier, said abutting parts provided with curved abutting faces which permit their relative movement Without varying the distance between them.

9. A platform-carrier, comprising a series of sections having substantially flat upper surfaces and lying in substantially the same horizontal plane, a connecting and driving device to which the several sections are attached, said sections curved at their meeting ends and opposed to each other, so that such sections can swing in the horizontal plane with reference to each other without varying materially the distance between their opposed edges.

10. In a platform-conveyer, the combination of sections having curved ends with segments having curved ends alternating therewith to form a flexible platform of continuous surface, connecting-bar segments joining section-centers, and mountings for the flexible platform and a locally-fixed driving mechanism, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

11. In a platform-conveyer, the combination of sections A, central studs for the several sections, connecting-bar segments joining said studs, concaved segments alternating with said sections and mountings for the laterally-flexible platform thus formed and a locally-fixed driving mechanism.

12. A platform movable in a horizontal plane, comprising joined platform sections or segments, the meeting edges of which abut throughout and maintain an unbroken top surface regardless of lateral movement and a locally-fixed driving, mechanism.

13. A carrier, comprising a flexible power transmitting device, a series of supporting devices connected thereto, a part fixed to each supporting device, and intermediate abutting parts movably connected to the supporting device so as to form a substantially continuous even surface for the carrier, said abutting parts provided with curved abutting faces, which permit their relative movement Without varying the distance between them and a locally-fixed driving mechanism.

14. A platform-carrier, comprising a series of sections having upper surfaces, the abutting portions of which lie in substantially the same horizontal plane, a connecting and driving device to which the several sections are attached, said sections curved at their meeting ends and opposed to each other, so that such sections can swingin the horizontal plane with reference to each other, without varying materially the distance between their opposed edges and a locally-fixed driving mechanism.

15. A platform-carrier, comprising aseries of sections, a connecting and driving device to which the several sections are attached, said sections curved at their meeting ends and opposed to each other, so that such sections can swing in the horizontal plane with reference to each other, Without varying materially the distance between their opposed edges and a locally-fixed driving mechanism.

16. A platform-like carrier, comprising a series of sections, locally-fixed means for driving the sections, said sections curved at their meeting ends and opposed to each other, so that they can swing in the horizontal plane with reference to each other, without varying materially the distance between their opposed edges.

17. A platform-like carrier, comprisinga series of sections arranged to form an endless platform, means for driving the sections, said sections curved at their meeting ends and opposed to each other, so that they can swing in the horizontal plane with reference to each other,without varying materially the distance between their opposed edges.

7 ISHAM RANDOLPH.

In presence of ARTHUR BROWNING, W. T. NORTON. 

